Thursday, May 17, 2007

Tuning Dilruba

Hello,
I got a message asking me how to tune the dilruba.

Basics:
The resonating (sympathetic) strings at the back will be tuned according to the raag.
Suppose you're playing Bilawal
tune .ma .Pa. Dha. .Ni Sa Re Ga ma Pa Dha Ni Sa Re. Ga. Ma. (until you run out of strings .. or you can repeat prominent notes like SA and PA as well )

The main playing string is tuned at Ma
My second string is SA
My third string is SA again or Ni - depends on whether I'm at Pehla Kala (C#) or Dooja Kala (D#).
My fourth string is either Pa or Ma - depends on whether I'm at Pehla Kala (C#) or Dooja Kala (D#).

Please note that nothing is Fixed - everyone has their own style. As long as you have each note covered and tuned accurately, The Saaj will sound good.

Generally - there's an optimum level of tightness for each Saaj. My Saaj sounds best at Dooja Kala (D#) for some reason - the resonance is much better than if I were to tune it at Pehla Kala.


Tuning the Saaj WELL is a different issue, which I hav not mastered completely yet - it's often very slightly 'off' - I can't tell , but my teacher can . I am getting better at it .

I will get my teacher to make a video about tuning when I get the proper 'online music lessons' site up. Btw: yes, I will be going ahead with it.
Give me 2 months to get another project off the ground, and then I will get it started. I already know what I need from a technical standpoint , all that's left is actually investing the time and money to do it.